

Game Freak develops the role-playing games, which are considered the core of the Pokémon franchise. While most properties are managed by a single company, Pokémon is owned by three: Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures. Pokémon has an uncommon ownership structure. Pokémon has since grown into one of the highest-grossing media franchise in the world, as well as one of the biggest gaming franchises.

In the summer of 2016, the franchise spawned a second craze with the release of Pokémon Go, an augmented reality game developed by Niantic.

By 2002, the craze had ended, after which the brand became a fixture in children's entertainment, with new products being released until this day. From 1998 to 2000, Pokémon was exported to the rest of the world, creating an unprecedented global sensation dubbed "Pokémania". Released on the Game Boy on 27 February 1996, the games became surprise hits and were followed by manga series, a trading card game, and anime series and films. The franchise originates from Japan, where it started as a pair of role-playing games developed by Game Freak, following an original concept by its founder, Satoshi Tajiri. The franchise's target audience is boys and girls from 5 to 12, but it is known to attract people of all ages. The third is to train a small team of Pokémon from those caught, and have them battle with Pokémon of others players. The second is to discover and catch a specimen of each Pokémon species. The first is to travel and explore new areas. The world of Pokémon has three primary goals. The franchise takes place in a shared universe in which humans co-exist with creatures called Pokémon, a large variety of species endowed with special powers. Pokémon is a media franchise consisting of video games, serialized cartoons and films, trading cards, countless pieces of merchandise, and various other products. Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green (1996) Logo of Pokémon for its international releases Pokémon is short for the original Japanese title of Pocket Monsters.
